Earth’s Potable Water

More than 70% of Earth’s surface is covered by water,
but only a tiny percentage of that is drinkable.

Image credit: NASA.gov

Transcript of the Audio Podcast:

Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink… on this CurrentCast.

Mother Earth has plenty of water. It covers more than 70 percent of the planet’s surface. By far, the biggest slice of that watery pie is ocean water – too salty for earth’s seven billion thirsty people to drink.

Freshwater, the only kind we can stomach, is less than three percent of the water supply, and most of that is solidly unavailable in glaciers and icecaps. So where do we get the water we need to live?

Image credit: cdc.gov

From rivers, lakes, streams, and below-ground aquifers combined. That’s less than one percent of the total H2O on earth – and all we have to quench the thirst of humans and all the other creatures that rely on fresh water to drink!

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